Dell
pulled the wraps off a new notebook officially today called the XPS 15z. This
machine is aimed right at the Apple MacBook Air and is going after the users wanting
high style and a very thin profile in their notebook. The 15z features GeForce graphics
and a slot-loading optical drive. An optical drive is something that some
machines give up in an effort to be thin.

The XPS 15z notebook starts at $999 and can be
ordered today. The notebook has Core i5 and Core i7 processors from the second
generation of the Core line available. The computer weighs in at 5.54 pounds
and is under an inch thick. Dell claims the 15z is the thinnest 15-inch PC on
the planet -- it has a resolution of 1366 x 768 standard with a 1920 x 1080
resolution screen as an option.

The notebook can be had with up to 8GB of RAM and uses the Intel HM67 chipset.
Two GPUs are offered on the 15z with the GeForce GT 525M with Optimus technology
and 1GB of RAM -- the same GPU is also offered with 2GB of RAM. Power comes
from an 8-cell 64WHr polymer battery.

The notebook has a 1.3MP HD resolution webcam with digital array mic for video
chat and recording. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/n is integrated along with Bluetooth 3.0
and Intel Wireless Display tech. The XPS 15z has HDMI 1.4, Mini DisplayPort, and
Ethernet ports. It has three USB 3.0 ports and an eSATA port. A 9-in-1 memory
card reader is integrated as well. The chiclet keyboard is backlit and spill
resistant. The trackpad supports multi-touch with gestures.

The
dimensions of the notebook are 0.97" x 15.15" x 10.25".

Engadget got hands on the new XPS 15z for a review. The first thing Engadget reports
is that the 15z is actually a bit thicker than the 15-inch MacBook Pro
(remember Dell said thinnest PC). Engadget thinks the machine is decent enough and will win some
shoppers, but it's not a game changer and corners were cut to get the low
price.

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I actually took the optical drive out of my MBP and replaced it with a second hard drive. I'd much rather not have an optical drive at all and have the space split into that for more battery and an extra HD.

I think you are over estimating people's desire for a built in optical drive. Neither my wife or I ever use the optical drive in our laptops, it's just dead weight, and we have very broad and different usage patterns.

With networking, the large capacity of internal storage, thumb drives, and USB harddrives there is very little use for optical drives anymore. They are outclassed in speed, capacity, and convenience.

As for 16:9 displays, I really loathe them. I do a lot of reading, especially side by side pages and the 16:9 aspect ratio is just constantly annoying compared to 16:10, even though on paper it seems like a minor difference. I've found when I'm reading a lot of web pages, PDFs, and documents I end up using a clunky old Dell laptop that is still running XP, rather than my newer laptop solely because of the better 16:10 display.

And for your needs, Dell and other companies offer thinner devices without an Optical drive and meeting many of the other bullet-points you mentioned. I am glad you and yours are discerning users. I know I am :)

This appears to be a media device with functionality for all types of uses. It is not a gaming machine and it is not a thin and light, although it is fairly thin for what it possesses.

We all have different needs but the way this product is positioned, it checks off many items on the majority of user request lists at a decent price point.

It is certainly not a bad option. Let me rephrase, it is not as bad an option as many are making it out to be.

yes it's not bad for the money. I seriously started looking at it as an upgrade for myself.

However I find it quite disturbing that hardware upgrades can no longer be selected A la carte, but are only available in pre-bundled systems. They force you into buying extended warranties and McAfee crap if you want some of the hardware upgrades.

I find that extremely manipulative and off-putting. That kind of marketing manipulation has killed any kind of sale they might have had with me.

It's a very disturbing trend for Dell who I used to like quite well in the past.